Berkeley Union Workers Stage 1-Day Walkout Against University in Sympathy with UCLA

Labor News

Teamsters Local 2010 stage a protest in front of California Hall in August 2016 demanding living wages and greater pension benefits for UC workers. Photo by Phillip Downey

Reprinted from The Daily Californian by Fionce Siow on January 10, 2017.

More than 100 UC Berkeley clerical, administrative and support staff employees staged a one-day walkout and formed picket lines Tuesday to protest the University of California’s contract negotiation practices and to stand in solidarity with UCLA skilled trades workers, who were also striking.

According to Joseph Meyer, a UC human resources employee and UC Berkeley strike organizer, thousands of union workers represented by Teamsters Local 2010 staged a walkout across all UC campuses and medical centers. Picketers gathered on roads near campus locations such as Boalt Law School and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from about 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to oppose what they called unfair labor practices.

“A great institution … should not only teach their students to the best of their ability, but also treat their workers with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Meyer said. “If we don’t come to work, the UC doesn’t run. We make (the) UC work.” …

Teamsters has filed several unfair labor practice charges against the university, alleging that the university bargained with the union in bad faith, stalled negotiations and hindered members from attending bargaining sessions. …